People Might Think You're Up To Something
by beazor
Summary: Harry sees Snape wandering the castle and is convinced he is 'up to something'...but does he really want to see what's behind the potions master's facade? During POA SS/MM
1. In Pursuit of a Serpant

I was cleaning out some files on my computer and found a couple chapters of a fanfic I'd started about a year ago and forgot about. Thought I'd make a few changes to what I had and take it from there.

This story has a SS/MM pairing so if you don't like that, don't bother reading…

~*~*~*~

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon and most of the students of Hogwarts had gone to visit the little wizarding village, Hogsmeade. The first and second years could be seen out on the grounds of the school attempting to have some fun while the older students were gone and the professors who hadn't gone to The Three Broomsticks could be heard having a good time if one happened to be walking past the staff lounge. And as most of the school was right where you would expect them to be, a thirteen year old boy was alone in Gryffindor tower with his face hovering inches over a large piece of worn parchment watching a dot labeled 'Severus Snape' traveling down a deserted corridor.

Harry frowned as he watched Snape's dot stop for a moment at the end of a corridor before turning down another. "He's up to something," he muttered to himself getting up and reaching a hand into his trunk to find his cloak while still watching Snape hoping the map would tell him what the potions master was doing.

He left the dormitory and leapt down the stairs almost falling over in his haste to tail Snape. He pushed aside the Fat Lady and threw the cloak over himself after her portrait was out of sight and checked the map again to find the fastest way to get to Snape.

After he had found what he thought was the best way to navigate the corridors, he whispered "mischief managed" and hurried to catch up making sure his feet were covered by the cloak as he sprinted although there was no one – staff, student or ghost – around to see them anyway.

Harry slowed to a brisk walk as he got closer and quietly tucked the map into his robes. He crept around the corner and almost ran right into Snape who was pressed against the wall listening to see if he was being followed. Although he had managed to narrowly avoid hitting the professor's rather large nose with his hand, the faint sound of his trainers abruptly changing direction reached Snape's ears. Before Harry had even had a chance to regain his balance, Snape had swiftly drawn his wand and was glaring in his general direction.

"Who's there," he seethed cursing under his breath about the possibly that someone had been following him. "I, professor Severus Snape, demand that any human being in this corridor declare their presence!"

Harry stood frozen in place – one foot still raised in the air as he had stopped mid-turn – only a few feet away from Snape afraid to even breathe. _He's definitely up to something…_

_Why am I being so paranoid _Snape thought to himself as he leaned around the corner and checked the other corridor. _The only students still here are first and second years and I highly doubt they could even stalk a turnip. The thought that they could follow __me__ is just ridiculous._ He smirked and resumed walking down the corridor.

Harry waited for a few seconds before he turned to face the direction Snape had gone and found the corridor empty. _He couldn't have gotten far_ he thought and hurried as fast as he dared to catch up.

~*~*~*~

Reviews are always appreciated!


	2. Three Lions and a Snake

Remus Lupin sat on a desk in a deserted classroom casually checking his watch. He had seen Snape heading down the corridor when students weren't out wandering the halls and was hoping to catch him coming here while the students were at Hogsmeade so he could finish the conversation he had been having with him a few days earlier – which resulted in the shattering of several jars containing various potion ingredients and a rather shaken second year who had happened to pick a horrible time to enter the potion master's office. Just as he was about to give up and go find Snape – who was probably down in the dungeons 'grading' students' papers – a shadow moved past the door. A few moments later, the door slowly opened and Lupin leapt off the desk and readied himself for another row with Snape.

Before Snape even had a chance to fully open the door, Lupin had crossed the room and drawn his wand to make use of his advantage of surprise. "So, you finally decided to show up you –"

Professor McGonagall's hand was still on the doorknob when he flung the door open and thrust his wand within inches of her face thinking he was about to get some revenge on Snape for the essay he assigned the third year Defense Against the Dark Arts students when he taught the class while Lupin was 'ill'. "Remus," she gasped and took a step back as Lupin's wand almost knocked her hat off.

"Minerva…" He lowered his wand and tried to sound like he had merely bumped into her as he was leaving the room. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be out in the corridors," he mumbled putting his wand into his robes.

"Neither did I," she said frowning slightly, "but at least I don't make a habit of opening doors with my wand ready to hex anyone that might be on the other side of it!" She walked around him and entered the room while reaching a hand out to close the door behind herself but Lupin put his foot in front of it. "I'd appreciate it if you would let me close the door, Remus," she said trying not to sound too urgent. _He'll be here any second_…

"Oh." He tried to sound as if his foot had just happened to be in the way of the door. "Sorry."

"Then move your foot."

"I'll just be going then…" Lupin turned and found himself nose to nose with Snape.

"Do watch where you're going Remus…we wouldn't want you to start making a habit of becoming ill _every_ month now would we?" Snape smirked as he brushed against Lupin on his way through the door.

"My students told you they weren't that far in the book," Lupin seethed grabbing a handful of Snape's robes to prevent him from entering the room and slamming the door in his face.

"Maybe if they could get a competent teacher for once their knowledge wouldn't be so…lacking."

"If you think you're so qualified, why don't _you_ apply for the job then," he hissed. "But wait, haven't you already applied several times already?"

Snape turned and got within centimeters of Lupin's face. "Dumbledore has his reasons."

"Ah, the Death Eater's all-purpose excuse. _Don't send me to Azkaban because Dumbledore has his reasons._ You're just a coward," he spat.

"Don't…call me a coward," Snape hissed plunging his hand into his robes and drawing his wand so fast that Lupin's hands were still clutching the front of his robes.

"Professor," Harry yelled throwing the cloak off. "Expelli–"

Snape casually flicked his wand sending Harry's flying down the hall before he even had time to finish the spell. _So arrogant…_ "It seems you're not the only one out causing mischief, Remus." Snape smirked and advanced towards Harry. "I didn't think that even _you_ were idiotic enough to attack a teacher, Potter," Snape hissed. "You think that you can do whatever you want because your 'Dumbledore's favorite'…You have no idea the price people like yourself pay for being so arrogant. Today, I believe that fifty points from Gryffindor will suffice."

"You were going to attack him," Harry shouted although he was only inches from Snape's face and it was quite unnecessary. "He didn't have his wand and you –"

"That's enough Potter," McGonagall said stepping into the hall.

"He was going to attack Lupin!"

"That's _professor_ Lupin, Harry," Lupin said darkly walking forward so that he was just behind Snape. "Let him be, Severus."

"You're just like your father," Snape hissed. "Always strutting about like you're so special." Snape leaned forward and spoke so softly that Harry could barely hear him. "But we all know what happened to him, don't we?"

Harry glared at the potions master wishing he still had his wand and an empty corridor. "My dad didn't _strut_," Harry spat resisting the urge to break the potions master's rather large nose.

"Your father wasn't nearly as," Snape paused for a moment, "_heroic_ as you think he was."

"He was my friend," Lupin said so viciously that sparks flew from his drawn wand. "Don't listen to him, Harry."

Snape saw the red sparks out of the corner of his eye and turned to glare coldly at Lupin. "If my memory is still correct, I believe he tried to kill me. Or have you conveniently forgotten about that?"

"It was your own fault for going. He _saved_ you from getting killed." Lupin came so close to Snape that their noses were almost touching.

"He got cold feet. My life wouldn't have been in danger if it wouldn't have been for that prank."

Harry realized that the two professors were so busy arguing that they wouldn't notice him going down the corridor to retrieve his wand. He walked in the general direction his wand had gone and scanned the ground for it.

"You wouldn't have been in any danger if you had stayed where you belonged." Lupin raised his wand from his side and pointed it at Snape's chest.

"Where I belonged? You're telling me that the three of them were always where they belonged…"

Lupin shot a nervous glance in Harry's direction as he found his wand and was now watching the professors. "Severus…"

"Yes?" Snape smirked and broke his gaze with Lupin to stare in Harry's direction.

"Severus, please…" His voice became more urgent.

"I have no idea what you want, Remus." Snape returned his gaze to Lupin.

McGonagall saw what Snape was going to do and realized that if she didn't do something they were likely to start dueling in the middle of the corridor. "Potter, what have I told you about wandering the corridors by yourself?" She stepped forward to block his view of the professors.

"_Severus, don't…_"

Harry walked right past her and approached the two professors with his wand at his side. "Potter," McGonagall barked trying to grab him and pull him back.

"Ah, it seems Mr. Potter has rejoined the festivities…" Snape reached his wandless hand out and grabbed his robes and pulled him closer. "We were just having an _illuminating_ conversation."

"You wouldn't…" Lupin's face lost all of the color that was left.

"I can't be held responsible for the things Mr. Potter hears when he's off causing mischief..."

Harry tried to get out of the potions master's grip. "I'm causing mischief? What are _you_ doing –"

Snape tightened his grip and cut Harry off mid-sentence. "Silence, Potter." He lifted Harry off the ground as he continued to struggle. "I don't think what I'm doing is any of your business. Although I'd _love_ to be enlightened as to why you're roaming the corridors with an invisibility cloak…"

"Put him down, Severus." McGonagall's lips became so thin that they were barely visible as Snape released Harry from his grip. "Potter, my office."

Harry ignored her and stared straight into Snape's eyes. "Why do you care what I'm doing? It's the middle of the day and I can walk around the corridors if I want," he said flatly.

"And by that logic, you wouldn't need to be invisible to anyone you might happen to come across."

Harry opened his mouth but before he could get another word out he felt McGonagall place her hands on his shoulders and force him to walk down the corridor in the direction of her study.

*~*~*~*

Harry followed professor McGonagall into her office and sat in the chair opposite her desk. Instead of sitting behind it, she picked up a tin on the desk and opened it. "Have one," she said holding the tin in front of him.

"No, thanks."

"Have a biscuit, Potter."

"I'm really not hungry…"

"Fine." She snapped placing the tin back on the desk within his reach and circled around so that she was now behind it. "You shouldn't be out in the corridors by yourself," she said lowering her voice.

"I wasn't doing _anything_. Snape was –"

"_Professor_ Snape is quite capable of looking after himself. It's you wandering around attacking people that worries me, Potter."

"But he was going to attack Lupin," Harry said jumping out of his chair.

"Potter –"

"_Professor_ Lupin," he sighed correcting himself. "And Snape was going to attack him!"

"Potter," McGonagall said raising her voice.

"_Professor_ Snape. And you weren't going to help him. You were going to let _professor_ Snape attack him when he was defenseless!"

"POTTER!"

"WHAT," Harry screamed in anger.

"Sit down," she said motioning to the chair Harry had knocked over.

Harry looked at the fallen chair and tried to remember how it had gotten knocked over in the first place. Seeing McGonagall's lips thinning, he bent down and picked the chair up and returned it to where it had been in front of her desk and sat in it.

The two sat there in silence for a moment trying to regain their composure. Minerva waited until he had calmed down a bit before continuing the conversation. "You can't go wandering the halls by yourself whenever you feel like it."

"But –"

"You're constantly disregarding your safety and I will not ignore it any longer, Potter."

"But –"

"You will return to Gryffindor tower and remain there for the rest of the day," she said in an annoyed tone.

Harry leaned forward so that they were only a few inches apart. "Professor Snape was up to something…"

McGonagall returned his gaze and thought carefully for a moment before speaking. "So you were wandering the halls with your cloak on and just happened to run into professor Snape who was 'up to something'…"

"Yes," Harry said ignoring her skeptical look and continuing to press the issue. "He definitely didn't want anyone following him where he was going."

"And where was he going," she said hoping that playing along would get him out of her office faster.

"I don't know." He paused for a moment trying to think of where Snape might be hiding something. "He was going _somewhere_," he added quickly.

"Right." McGonagall turned and checked the clock on the wall. "I think Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley will be returning shortly…" She stood and started walking towards the door. "I think it would be best if you were waiting for them in the common room when they got there."

"But you're not listening to me! Snape was –"

"Walking down the corridors like everyone else," she glared at him as she opened the door.

"He was –"

"You can't accuse people of walking down a corridor in the middle of the day," she said frowning.

"You don't understand –"

"Unless you would like me to give you detention, I'd suggest you get back to the common room before the students who went to Hogsmeade return." She gestured to the still open door.

Not wanting to push his luck, Harry stood and left McGonagall's office without another word. He headed in the direction of Gryffinfor tower and when he was out of her sight broke into a run. A few minutes later, he settled himself in a cozy chair by the fire to wait.

*~*~*~*

Having watched Harry turn the corner, Minerva returned to her office. She sighed as she sat at her desk and looked at the papers that needed to be graded by Monday. A little while later, the door was gently pushed open and she saw the black cloak and greasy black hair out of the corner of her eye. "Yes," she said not bothering to look up from the paper she was grading.

"Shall I assume that he doesn't know anything?"

"Potter?" She looked up from the paper and raised an eyebrow. "Honestly, if he knew he would've told half the wizarding community before you could have the chance to stun him," she said giving him a reassuring look and returning to her grading.

"I'm not surprised that none of the students have found out," he said checking that there was no one in the corridor and closing the door. "I had the third years write essays – which were rather substandard even considering their previous professors in the subject – and I doubt that anyone besides Ms. Granger figured out that –"

"Severus," Minvera quietly interrupted.

He looked around the room. "Unless you've transfigured ears onto your plant," he said gesturing in its' direction, "I believe that we are the only ones in the room, Minerva."

"I'll be speaking with Dumbledore about earlier," she said finishing her marking of the paper and setting aside her quill. "I can't believe that after all this time you still hold a grudge against Remus."

"So far, he's been able to keep his little secret quiet, but not even the Whomping Willow could hide it forever."

"Severus…." Minerva sighed getting up behind her desk and approaching him. "Even if Lupin somehow knew, why would he tell anyone?"

"I'd like to know why he thought it would be hilarious to have me killed," he said flatly.

Minvera closed the gap between the two of them and they were now inches from each other. "Severus," she spoke so softly he might have mistaken it for a breeze if he hadn't seen her lips moving, "that was _years_ ago."

"I could have been killed…" He walked past her and stared out of the window at the grounds.

"People change, Sev." She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "And the proof is in the room right now." Their eyes met in the reflection of the window as they stood in silence for a few minutes

Severus sighed and placed his face against the pane of the window. "Potter will never understand the sacrifice that was made so that he could live," he said so quietly that Minerva wasn't entirely sure that he had even said it. Just as she was about to embrace him, Snape turned quickly as if he were trying to disapparate and left the room. As he turned slightly to shut the door behind himself, she thought she saw a tear rolling down his reddening cheeks.


End file.
